If Reyna plays as many/more minutes for the Nats this season than his clubs, can we put the GB-Reyna beef talk to rest? or will that come back the first time Gio doesn't start for MNT?
The Hudson/Callaghan era saw a productive reset. Berhalter, to his credit, has maintained most of the changes introduced during that period.
Did it? Or was Reyna just hurt all the other times? I'm still pretty sure Reyna has started pretty much every game he's been healthy for Berhalter. Reyna's going to start, and he should. Class over form all day, especially for a player of Reyna's caliber. And while I like Tillman quite a bit more than his detractors, people are also taking production with a juggernaut of a team in a traditionally no-defense league with him coming fresh off the bench a lot a little too strongly as evidence that he's ready internationally for a knock out game like this, even at home.
And maybe just as important. His teammates, based on the comments, have all welcomed Reyna back into the fold. That whole thing is really a non-issue. [At least it seems like it to an outside.] Berhalter probably hasn't made this decision yet. Probably needs to assess these guys in training. Is fitness an issue right now with Reyna or Weah? Does Weah have a minor knock or something? We've got options. That's the thing. We've got options. Any one of these guys is good enough to excel against Jamaica. Its a great thing to have options and argue about who the starting XI should be. We don't want the lineup to "write itself." I'd be thrilled if some guy like Paredes or Booth starts excelling to a degree that makes this debate even more compelling.
Hope so! It's telling that Reyna has started as many games for MNT since last summer as he has for his clubs. You'd think that goes a long way to rebuilding trust. If Gregg did hold a grudge it would be easy to bench him based on his limited club impact, not that that stopped him from playing Steffen, Pulisic, Weah etc...
Is Forest just stronger than the Nats? I guess I can believe that. Really helps with the logic of why Reyna can’t get minutes there but would play as many as his conditioning allows here.
Club teams are just different, and national teams would struggle to compete even on equal talent. He went to a relegation threatened EPL team, mid-season, with a defensive minded coach. It was never a very good fit. My hope is that this is the turn that gets Reyna to realize he's got to work on both sides of the ball consistently.
They need to figure out how to get Gibbs-White and Reyna on the field at the same time. They did try it briefly when they dropped Gibbs-White deeper into midfield, playing more as an 8 than a 10. It seems obvious to me that's how they should go. None of their double pivots looks that good. So why not try Gibbs-White and Reyna together.
I have been a huge Pepi believer. Was then, am now. I agree that Pepi should have been taken. All I am saying is that none of our strikers at the time made a particularly compelling argument that they should be on the plane. If anything, I think Vazquez made the strongest argument based on form. Pepi had shown what he can do but went cold...ice cold. His form had improved in Erendivisie but scoring in that league isn't necessarily more impressive than MLS. Look at Bradley and Altidore's stints. I know the quality of team is different but is it enough to outweigh Vazquez? Ferreira did pretty good in MLS. That pretty much brings us to what you had for choices and no clear standout. I liked Sargent as choice and he turned out to do an ok job, albeit without being a serious threat on goal. Wright, ironically got a goal....but I would not have taken him. I like Ferreira but would not have taken him. I said then and still think that he needs to prove that he can deal with pressure. Imo, he is extremely talented, fast, good vision and has all the tools to be an excellent player for our national team but needs to be able to put it together when the chips are down. Between Pepi and Vazquez I would replace Ferreira with Pepi but I would also replace one of the fullbacks...my choice would have been Shaq Moore, but Berhalter seemed to rate him over Scally, so leave Joe at home....ya gotta make a choice and might as well leave home a guy you aren't going to play. Another choice might be Rodan but I don't know Berhalter's thinking on him...perhaps he felt he had value, even on the bench, for his leadership and other attributes? He also is extremely versatile so in an emergency, could fill in for various positions if the sh!t hit the fan.
Reyna hasn’t earned jack since Qatar…Berhalter has bent over backwards to get his spoiled, pampered butt on the field. There are so many players earning it right now that it would be criminal to start Reyna over any of them.
That's just the thing. We saw it coming. And we can't even really say that this is an "extended trial" behind the scenes. Forest doesn't have an option to buy as far as we know. [Sure, they could still submit a transfer offer. But why??] I think what disappoints fans is we saw the list of clubs that were interested. We all thought any one of these would have been better than Nottingham Forest. Forest got Reyna as a depth piece. Cover for their relegation fight. And you kind of understand that because staying up in the league means so much. A club can go thru some sort of bizarre injury tsumani and be caught with their pants down. But should this effect his standing with the USMNT? Not necessarily. Pulisic would go thru phases at Chelsea of being out of the lineup. He'd still come into USMNT camp and perform. Dest wasn't playing at Milan, and would still play well for the USMNT. This is up to Berhalter to assess. Is Reyna not match fit? Is there some physical reason we fans don't know about for why he's not in the starting XI for Forest? [He hasn't exactly been a bastion of health over the last 3 years.] Is there a confidence issue? Is 90% Reyna better in the starting XI than a firing-on-all-cylinders Tillman? [And if he can start against Jamaica, and we win, can he really start a few days later in a final? We'll cross that bridge if and when we get there.]
Was that the same stellar attacking lineup that got shutout against Man U earlier this week. You know when they finally put Gio on in the 90th minute. He wasn't even the first attacking sub they made.
Well, he apparently had an injury that caused him to not make today's roster. If he's missing rosters, and thus practices, he shouldn't be called in.
Maloney is out with a knee injury. Gotta think he'll miss to rest. In the Bundesliga today, #USMNT midfielder Lennard Maloney is out with a knee injury for Heidenheim against Eintracht. - Head coach Frank Schmidt said it's not a long term injury. It's a minor inner ligament injury but he is listed as week-to-week.— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) March 2, 2024
If McKennie and Maloney are out, the logical replacements are LDLT and Aaronson. Starting lineup against Jamaica would be: Turner A Robinson, Ream, Richards, Scally Cardoso, Musah, Reyna Pulisic, Balogun, Weah
Max Bretos mentioned on commentary just now for the RSL LAFC blizzard match that Nations League squads must be announced by March 11.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a midfield of Musah, Tillman and Reyna against Jamaica. Jamaica generally play an empty bucket and don't attack up the middle much.
Same players except brenden for gio to start and 3 atb. -------------pulisic---balo ----------------brenden -ARob---moose--johnny--weah ------ream--richards--scally/miles I'd bring Gio off the bench in the 2nd half and start Brenden so we can gauge how well we can press and keep possession. We can use Johnny centrally higher up near area 14 as Brenden goes ball side left or right but I think we'll need 3 atb to help Moose with counters in that case. Having said that, I noticed the new manager at Palace played Richards as left cb in 3atb vs. Spurs on the weekend. Coiuld it be Richards is a 3atb centre back? We have never analyzed that point in respect of our cb's because we more or less foreclose playing 3atb.
after a 4-1 loss in his debut with cardiff horvath has kept 3 straight clean sheets. everybody gonna stick with club form over nt history now? let the hypocrisy begin!
I'll happily take him for his NT history. His relief appearance vs Mexico was one of the best keeper moments in Nats history.